After the End
by Rhine
Summary: Mulder and Scully on the run, visiting their old haunts.
1. Default Chapter

"Hey Mulder," Scully said quietly, nudging his sleeping form. "Mulder, we've got to get going." He peeked back at her with half open lids, and rolled onto his back.  
  
"Gimme a reason, Scully. Are we going to miss our flight to the latest sight of paranormal happenings? Keep a secret informer from any particular government agency waiting? Waste precious "piss off the superiors" time?" he closed his eyes and pulled the covers back up,"We've joined the ranks of America's unemployed, Scully – we don't have to get up 'til noon."  
  
"Mulder, think carefully. What have you spent the last nine years doing?"  
  
"Searching for aliens."  
  
"Where did these aliens land?"  
  
"Roswell."  
  
"Where are we now?"  
  
"Roswell."  
  
"Where are they going to look for us?"  
  
"Ok, time to get up."  
  
* * * *  
  
Outside the cheap motel room, the sun was beginning to rise, illuminating Scully's red hair. "Scully," Mulder began, shielding his eyes from the reflection of her hair,"How do you expect us to elude the government with your hair flashing like a homing beacon? Maybe you need a dye job."  
  
"Oh yeah," she said turning to him,"And what color would you suggest?"  
  
"I've always had a thing for blondes," he replied, climbing into the car.  
  
"Tell you what Mulder, I'll dye my hair if you grow a goatee."  
  
"On second thought, I've always liked the red."  
  
* * * *  
  
Pulling out of the McDonald's drive-thru, Mulder dug through the bag. "They jipped us on the ketchup Scully."  
  
"I've still got my badge," Scully offered,"And my gun. Pull a U-Turn, Mulder, I'll see what I can do."  
  
"A little hostile this morning, aren't we?"  
  
"Just your average disgruntled government employee."  
  
"Should've been a postal worker."  
  
"It was on my list but I just didn't look good in navy."  
  
"So you traded in mail for medicine..."  
  
"And ended up chasing aliens."  
  
"Good choice."  
  
* * * *  
  
"Wanna pull out that map, Starbuck?" Scully turned to glare at him, and opened the glove box.  
  
"Sure thing, Spooky."  
  
"Oh, that was harsh." Scully unfolded the map and spread it out.  
  
"Where are we headed?"  
  
"Good ole D.C."  
  
"Mulder," Scully said seriously,"You can't be serious."  
  
"You're the one that said they'd be looking in Roswell, not D.C. Besides, I've got some things to do."  
  
Sighing heavily, Scully rolled her eyes. "Take Exit 94," she said, and began to fold the map. Five minutes later, Mulder laughed as Scully was still attempting the fit the map back into the glove box.  
  
"Maps - through all the years we never investigated the paranormal aspects of their unfoldability."  
  
"I'm sure Mulder, that maps are only the tip of the ice berg, a conspiracy organized by the same people that created fitted sheets, humanly impossible to fold by hand. Its a mass conspiracy designed to cause frustration amongst the masses."  
  
"I knew there was a reason I loved you."  
  
* * * *  
  
"Mulder..." Scully warned as they pulled into the parking lot of Mulder's apartment building.  
  
"Relax Scully, they won't expect me to come back to this crap hole." Scully looked thoughtfully up at the building.  
  
"It's not that bad."  
  
"Aside from the ongoing battle between the cockroaches and me, no, I'd said it's quite Hilton-esque."  
  
Mulder's apartment door was wrapped in caution tape, and he turned to give Scully a concerned look. She shrugged.  
  
"It was the only way to keep the landlord from renting it out again. I told him there was a dead body in there."  
  
"I'm touched that you'd lie for me."  
  
"Technically, I wasn't lying, there are quite a few dead bodies in there."  
  
"Larry, Curly, and Mo?" Mulder asked sadly, referring to his fish.  
  
"And Shep," Scully admitted.  
  
"I always hated Shep," Mulder confessed, opening the door.  
  
"So why'd we come back here?"  
  
"To pick up a few things – gotta raid the bachelor pad."  
  
"The 'bachelor pad', Mulder? I'm the only woman you've had up here for years."  
  
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," he called back as he rifled through the drawers of his desk. Pulling out a roll of masking tape, he turned to look at his faithful couch. "Think we could strap it to the roof of the car?"  
  
"No Mulder, I think its time to say goodbye."  
  
"Flop onto it one more time with me, for old time's sake, Scully." Mulder plunked down onto the aged brown couch, Scully beside him. They sat for a moment before Mulder stood up again and got out the fish scooper. "Let's give these guys a proper burial and get out of here."  
  
Mulder and Scully saluted Larry, Curly, Mo and Shep as they met their final flush. At the door, Mulder turned back and grabbed a cushion off the couch. At Scully's questioning look, he shrugged,"Souveneir."  
  
Carrying the cushion, the masking tape, and the "42" which he'd pried off the door, Mulder and Scully walked down the apartment hallway a final time. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Please tell me we're heading for the border," Scully said hopefully as Mulder got on the road leading north.  
  
"We're heading for the border," Mulder answered, then swerved to take the next exit,"We're just taking the scenic route."  
  
"You heard what Skinner said as clearly as I did, go to Canada and..."  
  
"In a hurry to reach the land of the maple leaf, eh?" Mulder attempted a Candian accent. Scully just sighed in defeat and leaned back in the seat, listening to his continued attempts at mastering the northern tongue.  
  
"Aboot the hoose," he mumbled to himself,"A moose aboot the hoose."  
  
"The gun Mulder," Scully turned,"I still I have it."  
  
* * * *  
  
The SUV pulled up along the dark neighborhood street, its lights off. "Wouldn't want to wake the suburbanites," Mulder commented, scanning the addresses.  
  
"There, that one's Skinner's," Scully pointed at a modest, light gray house on the corner.  
  
"And how would you know that?" Mulder turned, giving her a look of mock suspicion.  
  
"Hadn't you heard Mulder? You were gone for quite awhile, I did get a bit lonely, and Walter...," Scully began nonchalantly  
  
"Oh so it's Walter now is it?"  
  
"Shut up Mulder," she laughed and stepped out of the car,"Why are we here anyways? He's not going to be happy."  
  
"I have to make sure the X-Files aren't shut down," Mulder answered seriously.  
  
"Then shouldn't we be on Doggett's doorstep?"  
  
"As tempting as that sounds..." Mulder knocked on the front door,"No."  
  
A bedraggled Skinner answered the door, still in the clothes they'd last seen him in. "What the hell are you two doing here?" he asked angrily,"You should be frolicking with the damn mounties by now."  
  
"I don't frolick," Mulder answered and pushed open the door,"Want to let us in out of plain sight?"  
  
Skinner shut the door behind them, and Scully noticed the hunched way he stood.  
  
"What happened sir?"  
  
"I met with some of Mulder's friendly military acquaintances," Skinner explained, wincing,"You know, 'I am a guilty man...'"  
  
"...and deserve the harshest punishment for my crimes," Mulder finished.  
  
"Yeah," Skinner nodded,"Those ones."  
  
"Are you alright?" Scully asked, concerned.  
  
"Yeah I'm fine," he waved her off,"Now why the hell are you two still on our side of the border?"  
  
"Abandon our country now? Just because they're trying to kill us?" Mulder mocked,"Never."  
  
"I'm touched by your patriotism," Skinner eased himself down onto the couch.  
  
"Sir, I need to know," Mulder began,"Are the X-Files going to continue?"  
  
"I don't know, someone's raided the office, they took the files..."  
  
"Well they've done that before," Mulder commented,"Everyone's done that."  
  
"Even when they torched them, we kept going," Scully added.  
  
"But there's no one left to fight them," Skinner admitted.  
  
"John and Monica?"  
  
"Soon to join the ranks of disgruntled former government employees."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"My hearing's Tuesday."  
  
"Then that only leaves one person..." 


End file.
